Campbell: City council passes ordinance prohibiting people from feeding animals on public land

A new ordinance will make it illegal for people to feed animals on public land in Campbell. However, an exception might be made for a special group that's dedicated to trapping, feeding and neutering trail cats.

At the May 20 city council meeting, the council did a first read-through of an ordinance that would bring the city up to date with the Americans with Disabilities Act, add up-to-date regulations requiring owners to have pets in safe environments while being transported in vehicles and prohibit feeding animals on public land.

"We've had many issues over the years with things like feral cats and excessive food being left out, which causes a false environment and increases populations that would not normally be there," said Campbell Police Capt. Charley Adams.

Adams said that the Silicon Valley Animal Control Authority (SVACA) began operating as a joint powers authority in 2006 with Santa Clara, Campbell and Monte Sereno as member cities. Mountain View has since joined the authority.

Over the years, SVACA animal control officers faced challenges enforcing the rules throughout member cities as each city had its own set of rules, according to Adams.

In an effort to streamline enforcement, SVACA staff put together a set of ordinances based mostly on Campbell and Monte Sereno's ordinances, which were the most modern at that time, Adams said. Since then, Santa Clara and Mountain View have adopted all or most of the codes.

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At the June 2 city council meeting three people who are part of a group that's dedicated to keeping the area's cat population stable spoke out against the new ordinance.

Elaine Urban said she has been feeding, trapping and neutering the Campbell community trail cats for the past 15 years. She said cat populations remained stable until 2008 and 2009, when the economy sunk. She believes many of the cats are coming from a nearby apartment complex.

Urban said she met with a SVACA representative who embraced her "trap, neuter, return" practice.

Diana Souza said the group's goal is to keep the cat population in control.

"There are no kittens on the trail now. I think we've been quite successful," she said.

Carl Swenson, who's been feeding the cats for about five years, said he visits the trail every afternoon and that the population has been stable since his visits began. He said the group of volunteers, which consists of three or four members, knows the cats by name, socializes new cats on the site and keeps track of the number of cats.

"We pick up the water and food after we have fed. We pick up other trash--or at least I do--on the trail," he said.

Swenson added that if there's extra food, he takes it home so as not to feed the skunks and raccoons. The group only feeds at three sites, he said.

Swenson asked how he and the other volunteers could meet the criteria in a special section of the ordinance that allows groups or programs to feed animals.

"We're willing to register with the city or other group; we're willing to wear a vest or somehow let people know we are allowed to feed at no cost to the city," he said.

Council member Jason Baker said he supports the new ordinance because he believes it's a good public health policy. However, he said there's a subsection in the ordinance that could allow the city to set up a public program for the group that has been trapping, feeding and neutering the trail cats.

"It might be an option if city staff were able to figure it out," he said.

Baker said he would support the group feeding specific cats for a few years.

"But we don't want it to continue indefinitely. And we don't want to say, in general, people can feed cats on the trail," he said.

City attorney Bill Seligmann said the penalty for feeding animals in public would be fines ranging from $100 to $1,000 based on whether it was a first, second or third offense and whether the crimes were committed willfully.

Adams said police would post notices in the area, warning people that feeding animals isn't acceptable.